Northeast Indiana lawmakers: State awards funding to local schools for safety upgrades

STATEHOUSE (Oct. 6, 2026) – Northeast Indiana schools recently received more than $951,000 from Indiana's Secured School Safety Grant Program, according to area legislators.

State Rep. Ben Smaltz (R-Auburn) said the program, which was established through legislation the General Assembly passed in 2013, provides matching grants to school corporations, accredited non-public schools and charter schools to help pay for critical safety improvements.

"We have a responsibility to do everything we reasonably can to protect students while they are in the classroom," said Smaltz, who serves on the House Ways and Means Committee. "This program gives schools another opportunity to strengthen their security and create safer places to learn."

State Rep. David Abbott (R-Rome City) said this year the Indiana Department of Homeland Security provided more than $26 million in grants to nearly 500 schools and corporations.

"Our students, teachers and administrators should feel safe and secure at their school," Abbott said. "With Secured School Safety Grants, security measures like new cameras or additional staff can be personalized for each schools' unique safety needs."

Area schools receiving grants include:

• Central Noble Community School Corp., $73,100;
• DeKalb County Central United School District, $86,000;
• DeKalb County Eastern Community School District, $68,800;
• East Noble School Corp., $48,903;
• Fremont Community Schools, $53,320;
• Garrett-Keyser-Butler Community School Corp., $86,000;
• Hamilton Community Schools, $86,000;
• Lakeland School Corp., $86,000;
• Lakewood Park Christian School, $53,457;
• MSD Steuben County, $55,040;
• Oak Farm Montessori School, $43,000;
• Prairie Heights Community School Corp., $43,594;
• St. John Lutheran School (Kendallville), $8,619;
• West Noble School Corp., $86,000; and
• Westview School Corp., $73,368.

State Rep. Tony Isa (R-Angola) said the matching grants can be used for a variety of safety measures, including hiring school resource officers, assessing site vulnerabilities, purchasing equipment and technology and implementing bullying prevention.

"Keeping schools safe is a shared responsibility that involves educators, families, law enforcement and the broader community," Isa said. "State funding can help bring those efforts together by giving schools additional tools to address their needs."

With this round of funding Indiana has invested more than $240 million in school safety since the program started.

In 2025, House Republicans passed legislation moving the Office of School Safety to IDHS, centralizing safety efforts and providing additional support and resources to schools. Visit in.gov/dhs/school-safety to learn more about state efforts to keep schools safe.

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State Rep. Ben Smaltz (R-Auburn) represents House District 52,
which includes all of DeKalb County, and portions of Noble and Steuben counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.

State Rep. David Abbott (R-Rome City) represents House District 18,
which includes portions of Elkhart, Kosciusko, Noble and Whitley counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.

State Rep. Tony Isa (R-Angola) represents House District 51,
which includes all of LaGrange County and a portion of Steuben County.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.